


Against the Odds

by prosaicwonder



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Christmas, Established Relationship, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Gift Fic, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, One Shot, Sheith Secret Santa 2017, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-19 07:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13119330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosaicwonder/pseuds/prosaicwonder
Summary: Keith spends Christmas with Shiro’s family back on Earth.“Keith…” Shiro sighed. “Can we talk?”Keith regarded his boyfriend in confusion, both his eyebrows raised and mouth parted before he nodded, and Shiro stepped into the room, gingerly closing the door behind him as he moved to sit next to Keith on the bed.Shiro paused for a few moments, his gaze flickering from Keith’s eyes to the wall on the opposite side of the room, before it moved back to looking at Keith. He had been acting strange since that evening, so Keith hoped that whatever it was that Shiro was worried about would finally be out in the open once and for all.





	Against the Odds

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise [Piggy](http://bewitchingherz.tumblr.com) \- I was your Secret Santa! I ended up using all your prompts for this fic. Hope you like it and Merry Sheithmas <3

Even years later, Keith still could not believe that it was all over.

 

The Galra Empire no longer posed a threat to the universe; in fact, it no longer existed after the war was over, which meant that the paladins’ jobs were done and that they could finally, _finally_ go home. Coran and Allura had been given the choice to escape to an alternate reality where Altea still existed, but Allura had insisted that they defeat the Galra Empire first before doing so. Now that Zarkon was gone, they were free to do as they wished. However, they wanted to make absolutely sure that nothing would happen for the next 10,000 years first, and—in a pivotal moment—Allura had followed in Alfor’s footsteps and sent the lions away just as he had done. Despite the numerous attempts to destroy Voltron, the Lions—seemingly having minds of their own—fought until the very end. They did not give up through the entire fight, just as their paladins refused to, until peace was finally attained. And their parting had been bittersweet; as they had left the Castle to say goodbye, they had all stood in the midst of the desert close to where the Blue Lion had been located, where everything had begun.

 

At first, Keith had been reluctant to go back to Earth: he had wanted to stay longer in space and fight with the Blades, since there was nothing on Earth left for him. However, as time passed in the limitlessness of space, the clearer things had become for Keith. He was never one to think too far ahead, preferring to let things work themselves out as they happened, and one of those things that just happened over time was how his feelings for Shiro had grown, how they had developed into… whatever it was that they were now.

 

They’d already been close before, but it had been different when Keith started to fall for the other man. As always, Keith had brushed it off and assumed that he was sick with some space virus, until months turned into years and those… _feelings_ just never went away. Each time Shiro had disappeared it felt as if he had been struck down, his arms and legs like lead which weighed him down until he was stumbling and being pulled down until he suffocated, until he drowned in the sea of negative thoughts that clouded over in his mind and his heart. Shiro was his everything, the guiding light in every path of his life he faced, the one who never gave up on him or left him, and Keith had gone out of his way to make sure that the other man could go home with him, safe and sound. Because Shiro was his home, had been for as long as Keith could remember…

 

Which was why it made sense that Keith had changed his mind later on, deciding to go back to Earth with Shiro and live in the desert once again. The shack had changed a lot since they left—they had both been alarmed at the way its condition had deteriorated over the years. Shortly after they had settled back in, they’d renovated it, expanded on it... until it felt like home. Granted, the shack had always been a shelter for them, but this time had been different. Something was still missing.

 

They’d lived in the shack for close to a year after returning to Earth, and after the media buzz had finally subsided, Shiro was asked to return to Galaxy Garrison to be an instructor once again. To Keith’s surprise, he had been offered a position as well, which he had reluctantly accepted. Truthfully, Keith wasn’t comfortable with instructing students, and he still felt like he wasn’t good enough for the job (even though he had literally led a team into saving the universe before), but Keith wanted to be with Shiro as much as possible. He loved flying and he loved Shiro, plus the older man had so much confidence in him… even when they were paladins back in space.

 

The Garrison had closed for the December holidays, which meant that there was not much for the two of them to do. It was probably why Shiro decided to ask Keith to spend Christmas with him and his parents. Keith’s eyes had lit up immediately and he had agreed without hesitation, but there was also a part of him which remained guarded. After experiencing abandonment as a child, that distrusting part never truly left him, and even after Keith found solace in the paladins and Coran back in space, he could never shake the doubt off. However, he trusted Shiro, with his life—with everything _—_ so Keith did not want that same doubt to extend to Shiro’s parents... the thought of them meeting him had honestly been intimidating, though.

 

There was also another problem: Shiro’s parents didn’t know about their relationship. Keith had no idea how they would react if they were ever to find out. As much as it bugged him, he tried not to think about that too much, as Keith being worried would only trouble Shiro, and he did not want to cause the other man any more distress—especially since Shiro had been the one to plan their entire trip.

 

So here they were now, staying at Shiro’s parents’ house in Japan. It was modestly-sized, but there were spare rooms for each of them. It felt strange to go back to sleeping separately: after they moved in together, Keith had grown accustomed to the way their bodies fit together on their tiny couch in the shack. They had arrived two weeks ago, after what should’ve been a painfully long flight, but both former paladins were used to much worse after piloting the Lions for so long. The jet-lag and exhaustion felt like nothing, though their bodies probably told them otherwise, and they had trudged towards the front door of Shiro’s parents’ home with their bags in hand. Shiro’s parents had been kind and accommodating, greeting them both sincerely before showing them the way upstairs. Keith was relieved that he still remembered the basic greeting words from his childhood, and he had used them like he did before everything had gone wrong in his life. Hopefully, Shiro’s parents would not notice that he wasn’t as fluent as their son was.

 

A knock on his door broke him out of his thoughts, and Keith turned to face the direction in which the noise came from. “Yeah?”

 

He stopped in front of the door, twisting the knob and opening it until he came face-to-face with Shiro.

 

“Hey there,” Shiro murmured, smiling sweetly down at his boyfriend. That odd fluttery feeling surfaced in Keith’s chest as he returned a smile of his own.

 

Shiro watched him for a few seconds before he spoke again: “So, I was wondering if you want to go somewhere tomorrow?”

 

Keith bit his lip as he pondered the question. “It’s Christmas Eve. Will that be alright?”

 

“Of course it will,” Shiro replied, before he broke his gaze and looked away sheepishly, making Keith raise an eyebrow. “Though… um, over here it’s considered an important date… for couples.”

 

Keith blinked at that. Well, that was… new.

 

“I know you don’t like PDA, so if you’re not comfortable with it then we don’t have to show everyone that we’re a couple. But it would be fun for us to get out and do something for once. I feel like we’re getting cabin fever here in my parents’ house.”

 

The smile returned on Keith’s face before he replied: “Sure, why not?”

 

Before he went to sleep that night, Keith shifted around in his bed in nervous anticipation of what was to come. He’d just let things work themselves out.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, the two of them left the house early for Tokyo, sending off quick farewells to Shiro’s parents before they braved the cold outside. They were dressed in thicker clothes than usual: Shiro in a black pea coat and grey scarf over his usual outfit, and Keith in his new red bomber jacket (a gift from Shiro from before they left for their trip). He still had the black fingerless gloves on; he never took those off.

 

“I don’t see the point of you wearing those,” said Shiro in an amused tone. “Aren’t your fingers still cold?”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

“You know, I could just get you new ones.” Shiro teased, and Keith just huffed in response.

 

“It’s fine. Besides, I like these ones,” said Keith. “I’d never throw away something you gave me.”

 

Usually he wouldn’t bother making so much small talk, but Keith was still nervous from the night before. It was his first date with Shiro, and it made up for all the times they _could’ve_ done something, but they just hadn’t been in the right position to do so. After he had realised his feelings for Shiro ran deeper than he thought, Keith decided to keep quiet about it, since team Voltron had been too busy saving the rest of the universe from Zarkon and the Galra Empire. He didn’t want his own feelings to affect the team either—in the end Shiro had felt the same way, anyway.

 

And Keith wasn’t dense enough to not notice how nervous Shiro was about this, either. It didn’t feel the same as their stolen moments at night on the Garrison rooftop; it was not like the time they were stranded on an alien planet and had to wait for their teammates to save them, or the mundane moments where both of them had been younger and more carefree aboard the Altean castle—back when everything had started after they left Earth. No, this was a real date. 

 

As their bus approached the city they noted how many lights surrounded the entire place. Thousands of LED lights were scattered across the streets, twinkling brightly even during the day. It reminded them both of the times they’d stand inside the castle and brood, peering out the large transparent windows out at the endless galaxies which awaited them. Even the trees and the grass were decorated in lights, a garden of starlight in the vastness of the city.

 

They got off their stop then, with Shiro lightly tugging on Keith’s jacket sleeve, making the younger man blush, and after reaching the inside of the station they paused to gaze at the map on the board.

 

“So… what now?” asked Keith.

 

“We’ve got the whole day. Maybe we could check out the nearby shopping complex?” Shiro suggested, earning him a nod from Keith.

 

As they walked through the giant building they were taken back to the time they were at the Unilu Space Mall all those years ago. It was odd to be back at one of these buildings, Shiro and Keith both thought, and they had somehow expected the mall to be filled with aliens of all sizes and shapes, for six-armed vendors to coax them into buying more things that they both didn’t need… Sometimes it still felt as if they hadn’t left space.

 

Even now, they had still not fully adjusted to life back on Earth. They weren’t sure if they ever would get used to this. But it had also been so long since they had last seen a place so filled with Christmas decorations, spectacular displays filled with red and green and gold, illuminated with hundreds of softly-glowing lights, and it felt like forever ago since they last heard a Christmas carol or the chiming of bells in the air. They had tried to celebrate Christmas on the Castle several times, but it just didn’t feel the same.

 

The morning passed by quickly. The two men had walked around until their feet began to ache, and then they both decided to grab a bite at the food court before leaving. At some point Keith had taken off his jacket, and Shiro had let out a laugh before apologising, as he forgot to tell Keith that the buildings tended to be heated often during this time of the year. Shiro had taken off his own scarf and gloves as well, and he had been amused when Keith opted to keep his gloves on.

 

“You really don’t like to take those off, don’t you?” Shiro teased.

 

“I’ll _never_ take them off,” Keith replied, without any real bite to his tone.

 

Soon, they left the (now uncomfortably hot) mall, and they had walked for another few minutes on the street before Shiro turned around and pulled out his phone. Grinning, he gestured for Keith to stand close to him so that he could take a photo, which caused the younger man to pout and look at him in disproval.

 

“You know I don’t like photos, Shiro,” said Keith.

 

“Aww come on baby, don’t be like that.” Shiro’s grin became wider, and Keith huffed before turning away with crossed arms, hiding his now-flushed face.

 

“Don’t call me that in public.”

“I won’t if you take a picture with me.”

 

Sighing in mock-exasperation, Keith turned around and dropped his arms back to his sides. He looked up at Shiro, who still had that smug, annoyingly _handsome_ grin on his face (Keith wanted to hit him for that), and they stared at each other for a few seconds. It didn’t last long, though: Keith had glared up at the other man with what he thought was the biggest scowl, until he slipped up and burst into peals of laughter.

 

“Okay fine, fine! You can take the stupid picture.”

 

Exhaling in triumph, Shiro pulled Keith close, slinging his prosthetic arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders before he pressed the phone’s camera button. After taking the picture, he put the device back into his pocket before he and Keith resumed their strolling. A few minutes later, Shiro hailed a taxi after they reached a more densely-populated section of the street. They both climbed in, and Shiro spoke to the driver, asking him to take them somewhere else. Keith had heard the older man speak in Japanese before, but it didn’t happen often. During the few times Keith _did_ hear Shiro talk, though, he silently enjoyed the way the language sounded—he loved how his boyfriend spoke, his voice low and warm, decisive and yet comforting all at once.

 

The car suddenly came to a halt and the next minute Keith knew, Shiro was opening the door and handing the fee over to the driver, and then he had opened the door, getting out and opening the door on Keith’s side. Fighting back a blush, Keith stepped out and nodded silently at Shiro in thanks, before he closed the door and the car drove off.

 

“Where are we?” Keith asked.

 

“Look over there,” Shiro replied, and there was a grin on his face which made Keith blink in surprise. His eyes trailed from Shiro’s face to the arm he had outstretched, and then Keith’s eyes widened as soon as he saw what the other man had been pointing at.

 

“Is that… a parade?” Keith asked. Shiro just smiled in response before they moved in closer to see more of what was happening.

 

It was everything that was expected of a Christmas parade. Groups of people dressed in Christmas costumes marched and danced down the walkway as cheerful music blared from all directions. Each float was unique and adorably decorated to fit the theme of the parade, all colourful present boxes and realistic-looking balconies with candy canes and snow-covered roofs. As childish as it should’ve felt, the spectacle had taken Keith back to when he was a child again. Faint memories of his childhood flashed in his mind, like rapidly moving pages from a photo album which had been long forgotten.

 

He thought about his father, how Keith’s own tiny hand had fitted into Shiro’s larger one, seemingly two perfect pieces of a puzzle slotted together before Keith never saw him again. He thought about himself in the orphanage as a boy who never fitted in, because he was too quiet, too rash, too angry and apparently not ‘normal enough’, as he’d overheard one of the adults saying. It had been a coincidence that he had overheard then, but it was all he needed to know. No one wanted him—Keith was even convinced at one point that his own mother abandoned him because she despised him so much.

 

He’d come to learn that not all of this was true: perhaps he thought that no one wanted him back then, but there was at least one person who did now.

 

“Keith?” Shiro’s gentle voice broke him out of his thoughts.

 

“Sorry,” Keith mumbled, averting his gaze away from his boyfriend so that he could focus on the spectacle in front of him. He felt Shiro’s prosthetic fingers grip his own, and usually this was the part where Keith would insist that they do not hold hands in public, but he was too busy thinking about his past to say anything this time.

 

“You okay?” asked Shiro, moving in a bit closer until their shoulders were almost touching.

 

Keith nodded, before turning his head slightly to regard the older man. “Just… remembered something, that’s all.”

 

Shiro had an idea of what Keith could’ve been thinking about, but he didn’t press it any further. If Keith wanted to, they could discuss it later at Shiro’s parents’ house.

 

They spent another few hours at the parade before Shiro turned to Keith and asked him: “Do you want to go back home for a bit?”

 

Keith shook his head, smiling as he replied: “I’m okay. Should last up till tonight, at least.”

 

Shiro said nothing as he raised an eyebrow in response, and—realising the hidden meaning in that sentence—Keith’s face turned an interesting shade of red.

 

“No! I-I didn’t mean it in that way!” he yelled, covering his face as Shiro laughed at him, making several onlookers turn around and stare at them both.

 

Shiro leaned in then with a smirk, his breath hot against Keith’s ear as he huskily whispered something that only the two of them could hear: “Oh, you’ll definitely be tired by the time we’re both in bed.”

 

Keith punched him lightly on the shoulder before they both continued walking to their next destination.

 

* * *

 

In no time at all, the day had come to an end and the sun had begun its descent towards the horizon. Hundreds of lights had been switched on during the shift, casting the city in an ethereal glow and sparkling like the many galaxies the former paladins had encountered outside of Earth. It reminded Keith of the first time he and Shiro had returned to Earth: they’d been millions of light years away from their solar system, so far away that it had taken them both a while to get used to their day and night system again. It had not been easy during the first month, and both of them had battled to sleep when they should’ve been resting. It was also because they were both so used to living on three hours of sleep at most in space, because there was so much they both needed to get done in so little time. Honestly, it was partly a miracle that they had managed to undo over ten thousand years of damage in the first place.

 

The two men walked and walked, ostensibly on a path to nowhere, which was unusual for both of them as they were used to being assigned to specific missions for years, as well as knowing exactly what they both needed to do and when they had to get it done.

 

Shiro, who had been leading the way, suddenly came to a halt. His back was still turned to Keith, making his expression unreadable. Keith—who always, _always_ followed Shiro—stopped too, and looked up at his boyfriend in silent expectation.

 

They both strolled along the path, taking in the scenery in front and around them. It was one thing to see it in photos, but to experience it first-hand was what made it even more breathtaking. Thousands of lights decorated the trees along the walkway, lighting them up in various colours which changed the further they walked. It was absolutely beautiful, romantic… even. There had certainly been a lot of couples in the crowd that night, and—as Keith’s eyes drifted towards one of the pairs in front of him, watching their joyful expressions as they held hands—he couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad.

 

Shrugging the feeling off, Keith diverted his gaze back to the scene in front of them, and he must’ve subconsciously moved closer at some point, because suddenly his shoulder had bumped into Shiro’s arm, making the older man look down at him in surprise.

 

“You okay?” Shiro asked him for the second time that night. Embarrassed, Keith nodded mutely before slowing down his steps so that he would be behind Shiro rather than beside him. He was happy to follow Shiro anywhere…

 

They both stopped at the same time once they reached a new section of the illuminations. These trees, though bare and leafless, had been lit up with hundreds of bright orange lights. It was like the brightly burning flame of a supernova, the swirling edges of fire which did not pose any threat, but provided comfort and warmth instead.

 

“You like it?” Keith’s head turned slightly to regard his boyfriend next to him. Shiro was smiling up at the display with a fond and gentle look on his face. It made Keith’s heart race every time, to be able to see these little intimate moments and to spend so much time with the man he loved the most.

 

Keith wore a soft smile of his own as he moved in closer. “Yeah, I do. Reminds me of Red.”

 

“I thought you would say that.”

“You know me too well, Shiro.”

 

They both leaned in at the same time as their gazes lingered, their fingers brushing together slightly and causing that familiar spark of… something to surge between them. Keith’s tongue darted out to lick at his lips, before his gaze returned so that he was looking at Shiro once again. There was an odd look in Shiro’s eyes, something intense and dark and needy which made Keith shiver with want. He wanted to lean in even more so that he could kiss the other man senseless, others be damned. But alas, this was not the place for it.

 

“We should… probably get a move on if we want to see those fireworks, huh?”

 

Keith frowned slightly at that. He knew from years of hearing that tone that Shiro was feeling a bit nervous about all this. Not because Shiro didn’t want others to see them as a couple, but because he was probably worried about upsetting Keith on their date because he was taking things too far. Keith both loved him and wanted to hit him for that; he’d _never_ refuse advances from Shiro.

 

Fortunately, they both managed to make it in time for the opening fireworks display. An array of Christmas-themed shapes filled the sky throughout the night: from giant red candy canes to yellow bells, to green-and-red holly and intricately-drawn reindeer with Santa’s sleigh. The display, along with the dozens of illuminated trees in their vicinity, took Keith back to one of the sweeter moments between him and Shiro…

 

Back in space, Keith had been on the castle, about to leave with Kolivan and the Blades on another mission when he had heard rushed footsteps coming towards his direction. He had stopped and turned around, and before he realised who it was, Shiro had caught up to him and thrown his arms around Keith. Shiro had held him close before pressing a quick kiss to Keith’s forehead before he parted; he had also whispered “Be safe,” as his hands left Keith’s shoulders, and then Shiro had sent him off. It had stunned Keith so much that he thought about it even long after he left the Castle, the warm touch lingering on his skin as if Shiro had still been there.

 

Over time, Keith became good at remembering the little details; it wasn’t the first time he had to do it. When Shiro had disappeared for over a year and presumed dead, Keith could still recall the touch of the older man: a hand (human, back then) placed on his shoulder, brushing stray strands of black hair away from his face, a gentle pat on the head... he still remembered it all now.

 

Though, in retrospect, that moment on the castle did not really count—Keith still couldn’t believe how long it had taken them to have their first _proper_ kiss.

 

Sometime after they had returned to the desert shack, the two of them had stood outside on the porch one night and watched the stars. Apparently, there was also going to be a meteor shower later that evening, and Keith had excitedly tugged Shiro outside before they both ended up seated side-by-side on the familiar old bench.

 

It had taken around an hour before the first flash of white glided across the sky. Barely lasting a second, it flickered as it hit the Earth’s atmosphere, disappearing as quickly as it had entered. In no time, more of them had streaked across the sky, and both men had found themselves in silent awe at the spectacle. What had been so close to them before was now miles away, untouchable, but they would never get tired of seeing the meteors, or anything from outer space in that matter.

 

“They’re beautiful…” Shiro had quietly murmured, before a hand was suddenly placed on top his own.

 

Keith’s eyes had glistened with unspoken emotions, regarding Shiro as intensely as he did whenever he had something to say but the words would never come out. And then he had leaned forward and closed his eyes before his lips were on Shiro’s and Shiro’s were on his.

 

Their first kiss was chaste, soft… unexpectedly so since they had both held back their feelings for so long. They could’ve shared a proper kiss back at the Castle, but as they had kissed under the stars, surrounded by the remnants of space which fell to the Earth, the moment could not have felt more right.

 

It had lasted all but a minute, before they had slowly pulled away and their arms found their way around each other’s backs. And then they had both laughed softly and held onto each other tighter before they turned back to watch the final moments of the meteor shower.

 

A particularly loud bang from above caught his attention in the present, and Keith found himself looking back up at the colourful display. Perhaps he had zoned out for too long and hadn’t heard anything, but Shiro had been quiet during the whole time. Concerned, Keith glanced over at his boyfriend for any signs of distress on his face, but he found none. Shiro’s expression was relaxed, though he didn’t smile as he looked up at the fireworks. Soon, it was edging closer to midnight and the crowds begun to disperse around them, and before they both knew it, they were back on the bus to return back to Shiro’s parents’ house.

 

* * *

 

After they returned to the house, Shiro had followed Keith to his room and stopped behind the door as Keith had stepped inside.

 

“Did you have fun?” Shiro asked, and Keith hummed an affirmative in response.

 

“Thanks for taking me out today, Shiro,” Keith said. “It... was fun.”

 

A soft smile spread across Shiro’s lips then. “I’m glad it was.”

 

“I always thought I preferred being alone in the outdoors,” Keith mused, more to himself at this point than to Shiro. “I spent a good few nights outside during the time you were away, just... thinking, and soul-searching. But this isn’t so bad, either.”

 

“You’d still pick somewhere quieter though.”

 

“Well, yes.” Keith laughed. “But having you here with me made me change my mind. I wasn’t lying when I said that I had fun, Shiro.”

 

“I know.”

 

Their conversation died down until the both of them were staring at each other again. Suddenly the atmosphere had turned serious; in the small space of the guest bedroom, the tension was thick enough to cut through with a knife.

 

“Keith…” Shiro sighed. “Can we talk?”

 

Keith regarded his boyfriend in confusion, both his eyebrows raised and mouth parted before he nodded, and Shiro stepped into the room, gingerly closing the door behind him as he moved to sit next to Keith on the bed.

 

Shiro paused for a few moments, his gaze flickering from Keith’s eyes to the wall on the opposite side of the room, before it moved back to looking at Keith. He had been acting strange since that evening, so Keith hoped that whatever it was that Shiro was worried about would finally be out in the open once and for all.

 

Shiro cleared his throat before taking in a deep breath and speaking again. “I just wanted to make sure that you were still okay with us coming out to my parents tomorrow.”

 

Shit. Keith had been so preoccupied by their date that he had completely forgotten about that.

 

The thing was, at some point before he left for the Kerberos mission, Shiro had decided to come out to his family.  _So that I wouldn’t have any regrets_ , he had admitted later. His parents, who were initially shocked at the revelation, had eventually been fine with it and supported their son regardless.

 

It was only after Shiro had decided to come out to Keith as well, that Shiro had told him about what happened with his parents. It was probably the first time he’d seen Shiro’s vulnerable side; usually the older man was so in-control, so put-together… but Shiro had been alone with Keith that day and he had fidgeted and stuttered, literally trembling as the words tumbled out his mouth: “I like other guys as well.”

 

And Keith had supported him, still did... even if he didn’t quite understand it himself. Keith didn’t believe in labels, partly because he wasn’t sure what he identified as. He had the same problem when he had first suspected that he might’ve been of Galran descent. But there was never a specific definition for what he was: just as Keith was a Paladin of Voltron and a member of the Blade of Marmora, all he knew was that he loved Shiro deeply. It made no sense to him that labels had to be applied to everything.

 

After they had gotten together, Keith had been comfortable with keeping their relationship under wraps. Shiro was patient with Keith, choosing to wait for Keith to be ready if he ever wanted to tell anyone else about them. And he had done the same now.

 

Tomorrow, however, Shiro planned to tell his parents about how much Keith meant to him, about how much he meant to _Keith_. 

 

“Keith,” Shiro spoke, taking his boyfriend’s hands into his own. “We don’t have to tell them if you don’t want us to.”

 

“I do want to, Shiro,” Keith replied in a small voice. “It’s just... I’m scared.”

 

“Of what?”

 

“I...” Keith sighed, looking down at their linked hands and avoiding Shiro’s concerned gaze. “Look, I know your parents already know about your situation, and they can probably put two and two together. That’s not what I’m afraid of—what worries the most is that they won’t accept _me_. That I won’t get their approval.”

 

“Oh, Keith...” Shiro leaned in, not letting go as he pressed their foreheads together. “Why do you think they won’t accept you?”

 

“Because you’re—well, you’re  _amazing_ , Shiro,” Keith said, so sincerely that it hurt. “You’ve always been there for me. You were there when no one else was... If it wasn’t for you, we probably wouldn’t be back on Earth in the first place.”

 

Keith then pulled away slightly, turning his head away so that he could look at the wall. “And I guess... sometimes I still feel like I’m not good enough for you.”

 

“Not  _good enough_?” Shiro said incredulously. “Keith, you’re  _more_  than enough. I fell in love with you because of the same reason you did. Maybe you say that I’m amazing, but so are  _you_.”

 

He let go of one of Keith’s hands, bringing his own hand up to turn Keith’s face towards him. “What about all those times I was gone and you helped take care of the team? What about all those times you saved me, and the times you were there for me when I felt like I couldn’t go on... I couldn’t have possibly done it all on my own. I’m here today _because_ of you, and I can’t imagine having anyone else by my side.”

 

“Shiro...” Keith whispered brokenly, and Shiro let go of his face so that he could hold Keith’s hand again.

 

“It’s okay, baby...” Shiro murmured. “If you still feel uncomfortable with telling my folks, we don’t have to do it. I support your decision no matter what you choose.”

 

“I’m just nervous because I don’t even know how to speak to them properly,” Keith mumbled. “I’m not exactly fluent, you know.”

 

“You don’t have to be, Keith,” said Shiro, squeezing both of his hands softly. “I can take care of the verbal part...  _If_  you want me to tell them.”

 

“Yes...  _Yes_ , Shiro,” Keith breathed out. “I want your parents to know. I want you to tell them that I’m yours.”

 

“Okay.” Shiro pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “I’m here beside you, every step of the way.”

 

Smiling, Keith leaned into the touch before giving Shiro a kiss of his own. “Thank you.”

 

Shiro smiled into the kiss before they broke away. “Well, we should probably get some rest.”

 

“Okay,” Keith said, before he stood up to move towards the door. He lingered for a few seconds as his eyes raked over his boyfriend’s form, his mouth opening and closing as he fumbled for the right words to say. “Well, uh... goodnight, Shiro.”

 

Suddenly, Shiro stood up as well, closing the distance as he placed his human hand over Keith’s shoulder. “Come stay with me tonight.”

 

“But, what about—”

“They won’t know.”

 

And then Keith obliged, giving into his boyfriend’s request as he gathered his things and followed Shiro to his room. They took turns showering in the tiny bathroom before they got dressed into their long-sleeved pyjamas (Allura had let them both keep the Altean garments from the Castle), and after Shiro switched the light off he climbed into bed, tugging Keith along with him until they were both pressed together under the covers. Totally spent from the day’s events, both of them had drifted off to sleep in no time at all.

 

* * *

 

  
When Keith had opened his eyes the next morning, he registered that he was lying against something soft and warm. Realising what that something actually was, Keith nuzzled his face into the fabric of Shiro’s sleep shirt.

 

“Hey there,” Shiro’s husky voice murmured, and Keith felt the metallic digits of Shiro's prosthetic hand run through his dark hair. “Merry Christmas, sleepyhead.”

 

Keith let out a soft appreciative noise before he smiled up at the older man. “Same to you.”

 

“Don’t you want to check if Santa brought you anything?” Shiro teased.

 

Keith snorted. “Don’t you think we’re both a little too old for that?” 

 

“A  _little_ ,” Shiro repeated, glancing down at his boyfriend with a raised eyebrow. “Well, that’s an understatement.”

 

Keith let out a laugh then, rolling over and sitting up before asking: “So, what are we doing today?”

 

“Actually, about that...” Shiro trailed off as he scratched his neck lightly with his human fingers, smiling apologetically. “My parents don’t celebrate Christmas, but I asked them if we can do something special this time.” 

 

“Oh? Like what?”

 

“I suggested that we sit around the table for lunch,” Shiro explained. “If you’d like, that is.”

 

“Of  _course_ , Shiro.” The way Keith had looked so happy while saying that caused warmth to bloom through Shiro’s chest. His violet eyes had glimmered and he had that excited smile on his face which Shiro knew was a genuine expression of Keith’s. “They’re your family. I’d love to spend time with them.”

 

Shiro smiled at Keith before pulling out his phone and tapping once on the screen. He stared at the screen for a few seconds before he let out a snort, causing Keith’s eyes to narrow in suspicion and move closer to the bed. “What?”

 

“Lance made another mullet joke on my photo.”

 

Eyes widening in realization, Keith lunged forward to grab at the device in Shiro’s hand. “Hey, gimme that!”

 

Shiro just laughed as he held the phone up with an outstretched arm, until he felt fingers digging into his sides and he collapsed into a fit of laughter with Keith on top of him.

 

“That’s cheating, Keith!” Shiro exclaimed after Keith managed to pry the phone out of Shiro’s hand, sending Shiro a smug look in response. Keith’s finger tapped on the same place Shiro’s had done on the screen, and—upon seeing what Shiro had just snorted at earlier—Keith’s eyes widened so much that a part of him wondered if it was even humanly possible.

 

“You… you _posted_ these on here?!”

 

Apparently Shiro had taken many, _many_ candid photos of Keith during their trip, and he had probably not uploaded every single picture onto the app but there were certainly a _lot_ of photos. Keith had, at some point, fallen asleep on the bus, and boy was he a sight—his black hair was all mussed-up, as if he hadn’t brushed it for the entire time they’d been in Japan; his head was tilted back, and he had been sleeping with a peaceful expression on his face, completely oblivious to the fact that his boyfriend had been watching and even took a photo of him like that.

 

‘Awww it’s Sleepy Mullet,’ the top comment read, and to Keith’s dismay, several people had liked the comment, too.

 

“I’m gonna kill him,” Keith gritted out, his fingers tightening on the phone.

 

Somehow Keith had accidentally tapped on another part of the screen, and it showed him a reply to Lance’s comment on the same photo. ‘My Sleepy Mullet,’ Shiro had written, adding a red heart emoji after the words. That reply had gathered quite a few likes, too.

 

Keith blushed, partly out of embarrassment at the picture itself and partly because of how sappy Shiro was, and then he shoved the device back into his boyfriend’s hand. Keith blinked in surprise, however, when Shiro handed the phone back to him.

 

“Wait, there’s another one I wanted to show you.”

 

Shiro swiped at the screen once, tapping at it a few times with a finger before scrolling down until he found the image. Holding up the phone, he showed Keith the picture: it was the one where they had just exited the mall and took a photo outside, with Shiro’s arm around Keith’s shoulder and both of them smiling up at the camera lens. They looked… happy, and seeing that made something flutter wildly inside Keith.

 

“We should take one with my parents,” Shiro remarked, putting the phone away as he got up, and Keith made an affirmative noise at that.

 

“Yeah, maybe later.”

 

They both got dressed and left the house before noon so that they could get the necessary ingredients for the cooking later. Apparently, it was a popular tradition to have fried chicken on Christmas Day in Japan, but the queues at the fast food joints were usually impossibly long during this time of year, so Shiro had decided that they try and make it at home with store-bought ingredients while also preparing a few other things to go with it.

 

Keith had raised an eyebrow when he spotted his boyfriend in the baking goods aisle of the supermarket. The last time Shiro had tried to make a cake was for Keith’s birthday two months ago, and, to put it subtly, it had not gone well. It took a good few weeks before the oven had returned to its natural colour again, and the stench of smoke had haunted Keith for the rest of the month.

 

“What are you planning to make with that?” Keith couldn’t help but ask in amusement.

 

“Strawberry Shortcake,” Shiro replied. “It’s another thing often eaten on Christmas Day over here.”

 

As wary as Keith was about all of this, he quietly watched as Shiro placed all their goods onto the counter at the checkout, and decided to wait and see what his boyfriend was planning out for the day.

 

* * *

 

It turned out that Shiro’s mother was an amazing cook. Keith had offered to help her and Shiro with the preparation but they had both insisted that - as a guest of the Shirogane household - Keith should rather sit down instead. Within less than an hour the food was ready, and as the dishes were presented neatly onto the dining table in front of him, Keith was suddenly struck with a sense of something familial... It took him back to his time spent on the Altean castle, being chained to the other paladins before they all started throwing food goo at each other. That had been the first time he had eaten around a table with so many other people - over time, the others had become like a family to Keith. And now, it felt like he was part of another one.

 

Naturally, the meal had been delicious and satisfying, hitting the spot in many different ways. The cake had not disappointed, either: it was round, its exterior was covered in cream with strawberries marking the border at the top of the cake. Something was written neatly in Japanese on the top layer.

 

“What does that say?” whispered Keith to Shiro, who explained that it was just a simple _Merry Christmas_ message.

 

After they were done and the dishes were placed into the sink, the atmosphere at the table suddenly changed. Despite the language barrier, Keith picked up that something was different. Shiro, who was seated next to him, was constantly gazing back and forth from his parents, to Keith, to his hands on the table and then the cycle would repeat. The two elders in front of them were silent, too: just a few moments ago they had been chatting amicably with their son.

 

The silence dragged on for a good few minutes before Shiro finally decided to break it.

 

“Tou-san, Kaa-san...” said Shiro, using the honorifics for each of his parents. There was that serious edge to his voice which made the hairs on the back of Keith’s neck stand up. He’d heard that tone often enough—never when the two of them were alone, though. Keith couldn’t really understand what Shiro was saying, but he had a feeling it was something like:  _There’s something I need to tell you._

 

By the time Shiro had finished talking, the atmosphere in the room had grown even thicker with tension, like overgrown vines in a jungle in which unknown dangers lurked. Both of Shiro’s parents watched the couple sitting across from them, their gazes moving from Shiro to Keith, to their linked hands under the table, and back up before they turned to exchange glances with each other.

 

Keith swallowed, feeling his pulse grow faster with each tick (no,  _second_  - he reminded himself) that passed. He bit his lip as he tightened his grip on Shiro’s hand, and he felt his boyfriend squeeze his own in return. 

 

Suddenly, the old woman spoke, breaking the silence and causing them to refocus their attention on her. She spoke softly, foreign syllables rolling off her tongue, and it sounded oddly comforting to Keith - as if she didn’t think badly him at all. It was a far cry from the time he had come out to the paladins as a half-Galra, a similar experience which warranted mixed reactions from his then-family.

 

Shiro’s father had also said something, his voice low and gruff, tinged with something indescribable which made Keith shrink back in response, not understanding what the old man was telling them—what he was telling  _Shiro_. Though the man at least seemed to acknowledge Keith, since he would occasionally glance in his direction while talking. 

 

Shiro then said something in response, his voice soft but with an edge of firmness to it. Keith knew that tone too well; he’d heard it too many times to count, whenever Shiro would explain something he had strong opinions about. He was also glancing at Keith from time to time, and—every now and then—his fingers would tighten around Keith’s own, making something flutter around in his chest. 

 

“Well, you have their approval, Keith,” Shiro said, grinning widely, and Keith thought that he might’ve stopped breathing then. He felt the hot sting of tears approaching but he willed it away - he could not break down now, not in front of all of them. Excusing himself, Keith stood up as he let go of Shiro’s hand, whipping around and dashing out the room as he choked back a sob.

 

He’d just reached his room when the footsteps rushed up the stairs, and as Shiro caught up to Keith inside his room, Keith let out a frustrated sigh as he roughly wiped at his eyes, and he winced at the hand that was suddenly placed on his shoulder.

 

“Keith?”

 

“Sorry,” Keith choked out, rubbing even harder at his eyes this time. “I’m just... happy.”

 

Shiro’s expression softened before he pried Keith’s hands away from his face, taking them into his own larger ones. “I’m happy, too. They gave us their blessing.”

 

“What did your dad say though?” asked Keith.

 

“You noticed that?” Shiro asked in return, before he continued: “He... just said that he was worried. That we shouldn’t tell anyone else, in case we get treated differently.”

 

“What?!” Keith sputtered, his voice coming out a bit louder than he’d intended it to. His eyes darted from side to side before they settled back on Shiro. “Why would that make things any different? We both feel the same way about each other, and if anyone has a problem with that then it’s their own business—”

 

“Keith,” Shiro cut in. “Sometimes it doesn’t work that way. It’s not so easy to be open about it, and I understand that. As much as I want to, I can’t say anything about us at work. I just don’t want anyone to talk badly about us... about  _you_.”

 

Keith paused at that. Yes, he was uncomfortable with displaying their affection publicly, but this whole trip was making him see things in a new perspective. He didn’t mind people knowing about their relationship, as long he was sure that they would not react badly to the news. The protective side of Keith agreed with his boyfriend: if someone said something hurtful about Shiro, Keith would most definitely give them a piece of his mind.

 

He took in a breath, the remnants of his temper ebbing away as he replied softly: “You’re right.”

 

Shiro smiled fondly down at his boyfriend before continuing: “My parents are hard to please, so the fact that they’re both supportive of us means that they see the good in you, too. They want me to stay with you because of how happy you make me.”

 

Shiro’s hands then let go of Keith’s, travelling up, up,  _up_  until they were cupping both sides of Keith’s cheeks, and his thumbs were gently brushing a few stray tears away.

 

“I love you, Keith,” Shiro said tenderly, before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead.

 

“I know,” Keith mumbled, gripping onto the fabric of Shiro’s shirt. “I love you too, so much...”

 

“Do you want your gift now, baby?”

“Mm... wanna give you yours first.”

 

Slowly, Keith pulled out of Shiro’s embrace and went over to dig something out of his luggage bag before standing up and presenting it to Shiro. It was a medium-sized square box, coloured black and red. Wrapped intricately around the outside was a white ribbon, ending at the top of the lid with a perfectly-tied bow. Shiro’s prosthetic hand hovered over the lid before his fingers gently tugged at the bow, loosening it until the rest of the ribbon fell away and he was able to pry the lid off to reveal the box’s contents.

 

He let out a soft gasp upon seeing what was inside. Inside the box there were various mementos from the time they had both known each other: things from when they were little, to before Shiro left for the Kerberos mission, up until the end of the war against the Galra Empire—unfortunately not everything was there, since they had lost their fair share of belongings over the years. Shiro’s eyes widened as he scanned through the items: there were newspaper clippings so old that the paper had turned yellow, negative photos of stars and various planets they’d probably visited later at some point, a sliver of an old eraser from when Keith was still at the orphanage, different coloured sticky notes with Keith’s handwriting on it (one written in neat cursive: “It’s killing me when you’re away”), a comet shard which had ended up in the Black Lion at some point…

 

Shiro didn’t expect Keith to keep all of those things; he imagined that the box would probably get fuller in a few years’ time, too.

 

“I’m sorry it’s not much, but I wanted to give you something you could keep for a long time.” Keith had been fidgeting as he spoke, purposefully averting his gaze as if he were ashamed. 

 

Shiro would have none of that. After setting the box aside gently, he placed both hands on Keith’s shoulders, allowing a small smile to form on his lips before he pecked his boyfriend’s cheek softly. “No, it’s… it’s perfect. Thank you, Keith.”

 

He reached forward and wrapped his arms around Keith’s smaller form, closing his eyes as he felt Keith’s hands ghost over his back. They stayed like that for a few moments before pulling away again.

 

“Actually, it’s funny that you gave me a box,” Shiro remarked, grinning faintly before fishing something out of his pants pocket. “Because that’s along the lines of what I got for you, too.”

 

Upon hearing those words, Keith’s breath hitched, and then he was sure his heart stopped for a split-second when Shiro presented the small red box to him.

 

“Open it,” said Shiro, and Keith obliged, shakily reaching forward to take the little box in both hands, fingers prying the top half open until the contents were revealed.

 

It was a silver ring, simple in its design except for a lone violet jewel on the top, and it was attached to a delicate silver chain with a clasp at the end. It reminded him of…

 

“Is this… Luxite?” Keith asked, and after Shiro had hummed in affirmation, he asked: “How did you get this…?”

 

Despite the fact that they were no longer in space, Keith still carried his blade with him at all times. It was the only connection to his Galra side that he had. After everything he’d been through, the initial misunderstandings, as well as the events in the Marmora Trials where Keith had nearly surrendered the blade to the same organisation he ended up fighting for later, Keith still clung onto it. He had to make an exception this time, though, because he would’ve apparently gotten into major trouble with airport security if he had brought it with.

 

Keith would probably never stop carrying the knife, but the thought of wearing the ring around his neck still excited him—it would also serve as a reminder of his most favourite person in the whole world. They were connected, the two of them: both of them had a piece of the Galra with them. And they were both nothing like the men from the Galra Empire: they had both fought for peace as two parts of Voltron, after all.

 

“I won’t go into detail, but it was one of the most difficult things I’ve done.” Shiro said. “Besides being trapped in a Galra ship for a year and forming a giant space mecha being to save the universe, of course.”

 

“You know you didn’t have to go this far for me, Shiro. I just… why?”

 

“Because it was worth it.  _You_  are worth it.” Shiro looked down at Keith’s hands before cupping over them with his own. “I know how much your mother meant to you, Keith. I know you never stopped searching for her even though they tried to convince you that she was gone. And I know how much your time spent with the Blade of Marmora meant to you, too. That’s why I wanted you to have this.”

 

With one final squeeze, Shiro released Keith’s hands and watched as his boyfriend played with the chain of the necklace, running his fingers softly over the metal before he picked up the ring, studying it the way Shiro would catch him doing with his blade sometimes.

 

“It’s beautiful,” Keith breathed, before his eyes found Shiro’s once again. “Thank you, Shiro…”

 

Gingerly, Keith undid the clasp, lifting the chain and bringing it to his neck before turning around and glancing over his shoulder at Shiro in silent questioning. Smiling, Shiro scooted closer and gently pushed the ends of Keith’s hair out the way with one hand. Keith closed his eyes at the touch, and he reached back to hold the hair in place with both hands before Shiro moved to tie the clasp of the necklace at the back of his neck.

 

After he felt Shiro’s hands move away, Keith turned back around so that he could face his boyfriend. “How does it look?”

 

“It looks good on you,” Shiro replied, his voice warm and sincere. “By the way, Keith, there’s something else about it that you need to know.”

 

“Oh, what is it?”

 

Keith let out a surprised noise as Shiro pulled him close. His head was pressed against the junction between Shiro’s neck and shoulder, and Shiro lifted his prosthetic arm and grasped Keith’s hand, pulling it in until their clasped hands were pressed in between them.

 

“Shiro...?”

 

Suddenly there was a faint glow in between them, the ring felt oddly warm on Keith’s skin—even the delicate chain of the necklace felt hot against him. And then there was a flash of white light which lasted a split second and a series of strange numbers in Galran which he could somehow understand—even after the moment was over, Keith found himself pulling away and staring up at Shiro with wide eyes.

 

“What–... what  _was_  that?” Keith asked, not quite sure if the vision he’d just experienced was real or not.

 

“There’s still so much we don’t know,” said Shiro. “But I can see why this metal was so important to the Galra back then.”

 

“Does this mean… your arm…?” 

 

“Yes,” Shiro answered, confirming Keith’s suspicions. The numbers had not been randomised; they had been coordinates and had somehow been linked to Keith’s mind through...  _something_  that was added into Shiro’s arm later on. He’d have to ask about that later. “This way, you’ll always find me, no matter what happens.”

 

A flash of irritation went through Keith at that. They’d spoken about this before, and he thought that Shiro would’ve dropped it by now. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Keith reiterated what he’d been trying to tell his boyfriend even before they’d gotten together: “ _Nothing_  will happen to you, Shiro.”

 

“I know, but it’s just in case,” Shiro said before patting his own thigh with his prosthetic hand. 

 

“Come here,” he said gently, and then Keith paused, watching Shiro from under his dark bangs before he finally relented. Shiro couldn’t help but smile when Keith finally moved in closed and settled on top of Shiro’s lap, wrapping both arms around the larger man and nuzzling his face into Shiro’s broad shoulder. 

 

“What do you want me to do, baby?” Shiro whispered.

 

“Kiss me,” Keith whispered hoarsely, before licking his lips and lifting himself up so that Shiro could see just how bad he wanted it. “Please…”

 

And then Shiro’s mouth was on his, gentle at first but soon turning hot and hard and  _desperate_  as their lips parted and their tongues intertwined. Whenever they did this, Keith would always get lost in the moment, his own hands and mouth seemingly moving on their own. It didn’t matter how fast or slow they went, how gentle or rough Keith was or even how  _Shiro_  was—it would always end up the same way.

 

Soon, their clothes were thrown onto on the floor in a tangled heap and their arms found their way around each other, drawing each other close as they closed the last bit of distance between them. And to have Shiro—all of Shiro—inside and all around him, Keith had never felt safer.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Keith?” Shiro asked later that night. They both laid under the covers, Shiro on his back with an arm around Keith, who was on his side and nestled against Shiro’s chest.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“This is probably out of nowhere, but…” Shiro stared at the ceiling, idly stroking Keith’s back with his human fingers. “When did you realise that you loved me?”

 

Keith paused, closing his eyes before nuzzling his cheek further into Shiro’s chest. “I think it was after the Marmora Trials.”

 

Interested, Shiro lifted his head up so that he could look at his boyfriend properly. “Oh?”

 

Keith propped himself up on one elbow before meeting Shiro’s gaze. “I always had some walls up because, you know, it’s hard for me to trust people.” There was another pause, in which they both watched each other wordlessly, and Keith thought then that Shiro probably picked up on the maelstrom of emotions behind his own eyes, a reflection of so many words he wanted to say but wasn’t sure how to say them. 

 

“It got worse when I found out about my Galra side,” said Keith, before rolling over and flopping onto his back next to Shiro. “And then I tried to hide it, because I couldn’t risk having the most important person in my life rejecting me.”

 

“Keith…” Shiro spoke his name so tenderly, so full of love and acceptance that it made him tingle with warmth all over. A soft smile spread across Keith’s lips before he moved in closer, his eyes fluttering halfway shut he leaned his head against Shiro’s shoulder.

 

“But you didn’t do that. You accepted me, even after all the horrible stuff that was done to you while you were imprisoned.” 

 

At that point Keith had rolled over so that he was nestling into Shiro’s side again, and his fingers roamed over the scarred flesh of Shiro’s abdomen, before they finally settled onto the cold metal of Shiro’s prosthetic. “You saw past all of that, and you didn’t treat me any differently either.” 

 

Shiro said nothing, and then Keith became aware of how the other man had been rubbing slow circles on his arm, silently encouraging. Keith’s hand slid down until it was finding Shiro’s, tangling their fingers together. 

 

“After we got back to the Castle, I ended up hating myself for something I couldn’t even control, and then I started pulling away from the team, not just because of that but also about the whole leading Voltron thing…” Keith’s voice had grown quieter as he spoke, until he was mumbling in his partially sleep-dazed state. 

 

“... But you were always there for me, even when it felt like no one else was.”  _And I wanted to do the same for you_ , were the words which remained unspoken.

 

There was a long silence as Shiro processed those words. It wasn’t often that Keith would talk about his feelings so openly, so when it did happen, Shiro usually kept quiet and listened thoroughly until he was done. He wasn’t sure if Keith would remember talking about this the next day: he had a tendency to say things as he thought them, to be overly-... no,  _painfully_ honest sometimes. Shiro never forgot how, during the early stages of their relationship, Keith had clung to him in the middle of the night, and had rambled in his sleep about how much he missed the older man, how he was told over and over that Takashi Shirogane was dead but he refused to believe that. There were some things Shiro thought he was better off not knowing, but at the same time, he was glad that there were no secrets between the two of them.

 

“Keith, you know I’ll always support you no matter what.” said Shiro, fingers tightening around his boyfriend’s hand.

 

“I know, and that means so much to me.” Keith murmured, tilting his head up to press a soft kiss to Shiro’s collarbone. Settling back into the warmth of Shiro’s side, Keith asked: “What about you? When did you realise that you felt the same way?”

 

“Hmm...” Shiro mused, smiling fondly as he recalled the memory. “It was after you saved me and brought me back to the desert. My head was a mess… I couldn’t stop thinking about so many things. I couldn’t forget about what happened to me and I wasn’t sure sometimes if the dreams were even real or not.”

 

His smile turned sad as he looked down at where his prosthetic was laid on the bed. “And then my arm would remind me of the things that the Galra–…  that  _they_  did to me. It just cemented the fact that what had happened was all real and that it wasn’t just all in my head. It was probably the worst moment of my life—it was so bad that I couldn’t even look in the mirror for months.”

 

Shiro felt Keith’s fingers tighten around his own, squeezing softly.

 

“But you overcame the odds and got through it,” Keith murmured, planting another kiss onto one of the smaller scars on Shiro’s chest. “And you have no idea how proud I am of you for that.”

 

“Well...” Shiro‘s human arm wrapped around Keith, drawing him closer until Keith was half lying on top of him, and his hand moved up to stroke his boyfriend’s hair gently. “You were there for me when I couldn’t be there for myself. You saved me in a lot of different ways, Keith.”

 

“Mm... I’ll always save you, Shiro.” Keith leaned into the touch, his voice soft and laced with sleepiness. “Love you... Just want you to be safe.”

 

A pang of emotion shot through Shiro at those words. He was just  _so_  extremely lucky to have survived all the odds, to have been able to experience what no average person on Earth would and to have fallen for someone so indescribably wonderful it made his heart ache. He loved Keith  _so_  much, and he’d spend every day of the rest of his life showing the other man just how much he meant to Shiro. 

 

“I love you too, Keith.” said Shiro, leaning down to kiss the top of his boyfriend’s head. “Merry Christmas, baby.”

 

Despite everything, Shiro thought as he drifted off, they’d both made it through against the odds. And there would most certainly be other challenges later on, but they’d work through it together when the time comes. For now, to have Keith—the love of his life, the one who refused to give up on Shiro and accepted him for everything he was—beside him, safe and content as he slept in Shiro’s arms, was enough.


End file.
